There was a time in D’Cota Dixon’s life where his greatest concern was whether or not he was going to eat.

Five years old, no father around, living with his mentally ill mother who could not defend herself from the beatings of a boyfriend, Dixon grew up in a home with access to unsecured guns – but no working refrigerator.

And so now, in the moments when Dixon sometimes frets about his future – even though he was a three-year starting all-Big Ten safety, with a degree – he makes himself think back to a time when no one would have predicted that a little boy from Oak Hill, Florida, would survive neglect and foster care to become what he is:

University of Wisconsin graduate, Academic All-Big Ten

NFL prospect

Jason Witten NCAA Collegiate Man of the Year.

“Anytime I worry, I’m reminded that 15 years ago, I ate food out of a Styrofoam cooler,” said Dixon. “And I was sharing it with rats.”

And now, he almost needs to remind himself that he can’t save the world, or make everyone in it happy.

Thankfully, these are much better days. Dixon was in the middle of training at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for the NFL combine, which starts this week in Indianapolis, when he took a break and went to Texas to accept the Collegiate Man of the Year award, handed to him by former longtime Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

“It’s really a testimony of the grace of God, and the people he’s allowed me to come in contact with and establish relationships with,” said Dixon. “From family, to friends to coaches – the award is just as much theirs as it is mine.”

How did he get it? Dixon was nominated for his academic achievements, for overcoming so much adversity in his childhood and for volunteering for more than 30 sanctioned events throughout his time in Madison through Badgers Give Back community services.

Dixon painted pictures and shared meals with kids in the American Family Children’s Hospital. He camped out for a night at the zoo with kids who had terminal or chronic illness. He danced at a prom for Down syndrome. He told his story to kids getting out of juvenile detention.

“He did everything to make a difference in his community,” said Jackie Davenport, director of community relations at Wisconsin athletics.

Volunteering isn’t an obligation to him. It’s a way to honor his faith, and a way to show a little encouragement to a child, because you just never know what kind gesture, what hopeful words, could really be needed that day.

“It’s really, whenever you have time, you’re intentional about it,” said Dixon.

D'Cota Dixon (center) during a visit to Lussier Community Education Center.(Photo: University of Wisconsin)

After Dixon earned his undergraduate degree in rehabilitation psychology, he had also started working towards his master’s by studying counseling psychology last semester – Psych 509 abnormal psychology class was especially challenging and fascinating. The idea of a career as a sports psychologist someday is appealing.

All of this – volunteering, studying fields that help support people through problems – stems from a painful early childhood.

Dixon grew up in the middle of crime-filled streets near Miami. When his parents split, he lived with older brother Dexter and mom in a neighborhood that commonly had police raids and drug deals.

Mom wasn’t stable mentally. Worse, a boyfriend beat her. As D’Cota endured living conditions where rodents and pests scurried around the floors at night, he also had to listen to the domestic abuse. He was too small to do anything but absorb the mental trauma.

Everyday needs like food were lacking. An older brother-figure in the household dropped out of middle school to join a gang and hustle on the streets, selling drugs, to provide simple things: bologna sandwiches in a Styrofoam cooler. Dixon could at least eat if the rats hadn't already chewed through.

Dixon moved on to foster care, and then with his father for a time, but substance abuse was an issue for him.

Finally, thankfully, D’Cota and Dexter moved in with Beth Caston, and she became his stepmother. It would be the first of many times that Dixon would redefine what family was to him. Love and support could come from other sources.

“I was raised by a white woman named Beth and I love her like I was born from her,” said Dixon. “To me that’s the society God wants people to live in; a community of diversity. Jesus is more than someone who pardons our sins. What he also did was break down tribalism. He broke down the barriers of division.”

And that’s really the biggest part about Dixon – faith. He feels closest to God when he’s in nature, or when he’s serving others, like helping kids, and he talks about his faith all the time. There’s a risk in that. He knows. Not everyone wants to hear about one particular religion; there’s reason for so many of us to not trust organized religion.

But to Dixon, who looks back at his young life, already filled more than a fair share of hardship and pain, he somehow chooses to concentrate on the good moments, the small gifts and especially the supportive people he has encountered.

Maybe others were drawn to that in Dixon as well. Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, an NFL veteran, has met athletes who come from hardship and understood their distrust in others.

“Usually, the experiences I’ve had with those who have gone through similar experiences … they’re very guarded. They’re very skeptical of everyone around them,” said Leonhard.

But Dixon overcame anger issues as a kid and became a strong-minded athlete, said Leonhard.

“He’s not bitter, he’s not angry. He doesn’t feel like it’s him against the world," said Leonhard. "That’s what stands out, for a guy to be such a leader, such a dynamic and unselfish person, when you would think he would have the complete opposite attitude.”

Actually, Dixon’s unselfishness presented a challenge sometimes when Dixon assumed the leadership role for the Badgers. Some practices left him completely drained.

“And he’d say, 'Coach, I don’t have enough for myself, because I’m trying to help every body,' ” said Leonhard. “Those are the conversations you’re having with D’Cota.”

Today, we don’t know what Dixon’s draft status is. He’s overcome some injuries, too – more challenges – so his playing future may depend on his testing at the combine.

But if the NFL teams are looking at character, and someone who will continue his devotion to community service, there's no question about Dixon.

“In the NFL, the Walter Payton Man of the Year is a really big deal,” said Leonhard. “It’s a really big deal for the players, a really big deal for the organizations. It’s getting the stories out, right? It’s what some of these guys, amazing people, are doing in the communities and with their lives outside of sports.”

Dixon has goals, for this week, and his future. He wants to help more people. But he's making every effort to not overthink where he is headed. After all, look where he already is.

“I used to always question what my purpose was in life,” said Dixon. “You get frustrated, especially because you’re in this process of wanting to get into the NFL, and you’re so close to your dreams, and you want to help your mom, you want to help your family. You want to help people that you love dearly. I’ve found that God if you want to be great, you have to be faithful where God has you.

“I plan, but I try not to let my thoughts rest on those plans. I have an understanding that God is always in control. And I always ask that he give me the strength to accept His will over mine.”